The UK-based company behind the Candy Crush Saga mobile gaming phenomenon is seeking to float in New York with an equity valuation of around $5bn.
创造出《糖果粉碎传奇》(Candy Crush Saga)的英国手机游戏开发商正寻求在纽约上市，实现大约50亿美元的估值。
King Digital Entertainment hopes to raise up to $500m, according to filings yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission – about the same amount it has paid out in dividends to investors and directors over the past five months. The company filed for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, which will happen in March or April, according to one person familiar with the matter.
King Digital Entertainment公司在昨日向美国证交会(SEC)提交的文件中表示，它希望筹集至多5亿美元资金，大约与其在过去5个月向投资者和董事们支付的股息相同。知情人士称，King公司申请在纽约证券交易所(New York Stock Exchange)上市，时间将是今年3月或者4月。
Apax Partners, the private equity and venture capital group, is King’s biggest shareholder with 48.2 per cent of the equity. Index Ventures has an 8.3 per cent stake. The executive team holds about a third of the company. “We believe Candy Crush Saga, our top title to date, is one of the largest interactive entertainment franchises of all time,” said King. The company’s other titles include Pet Rescue Saga, Farm Heroes Saga and Papa Pear Saga.
私人股本和风险资本集团Apax Partners是King公司最大的股东，持有48.2%的股权。Index Ventures持有8.3%的股权。该公司管理层持有约三分之一的股权。King公司表示：“《糖果粉碎传奇》是我们迄今最成功的游戏，我们相信它也是有史以来最大的互动娱乐游戏品牌之一。”该公司的其他作品包括《宠物大营救》(Pet Rescue Saga)、《农场英雄传奇》(Farm Heroes Saga)和《帕帕弹珠传奇》(Papa Pear Saga)。
The challenge for King and its peers, which include Finnish developers Rovio and Supercell and London-based Mind Candy, is how to take the success of a single title and turn it into a sustainable business.
King公司以及其他游戏开发商的挑战在于，如何利用一款游戏的成功，将其转变为可持续的业务。其他游戏开发商包括芬兰的Rovio和Supercell以及英国的Mind Candy。
“With games that penetrate the mass market, it’s a case of trying to bottle lightning,” said gaming expert Ed Barton of Strategy Analytics.
Strategy Analytics的游戏专家埃德•巴顿(Ed Barton)表示：“随着游戏渗透入大众市场，这堪比登天。”
Candy Crush is deceptively simple, inviting players to form rows of three jellied sweets. It accounts for more than 75 per cent of King’s total gross revenues, although the company said it expected Candy Crush to represent a smaller percentage in the future as it looks to diversify its game portfolio.
《糖果粉碎传奇》看似简单，邀请玩家将三种相同的果冻糖果排成一线。该款游戏为King公司贡献了逾75%的营收，尽管该公司表示，随着它寻求将游戏组合多元化，预计《糖果粉碎传奇》未来所占的百分比将会下降。
The game started life on Facebook but has become available via smartphones. It ranks as the second highest-grossing smartphone app, according to the website App Annie, after Supercell’s Clash of Clans.
《糖果粉碎传奇》最初在Facebook上发布，但现在可以通过智能手机下载。App Annie网站的数据显示，《糖果粉碎传奇》是第二畅销的智能手机应用，仅次于Supercell的《部落战争》(Clash of Clans)。
King has seen huge growth. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation grew from $4m in 2011 to $825m in 2013, according to documents filed with the SEC.
King公司近年实现了巨大的增长。其提交给美国证交会的文件显示，该公司调整后的税息折旧及摊销前利润(EBITDA)从2011年的400万美元增长至2013年的8.25亿美元。